The project

The “FORêVER” project is funded by the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) through the interdisciplinary program and by the Institute for Engineering and Systems Science (INSIS) of the CNRS.

The goal of this project is to conduct a detailed environmental and economic assessment of the whole bioenergy routes: from the seed to the energy.

The “FORêVER” project: from the forest to the final energy use

​Context

A very common approach to emissions calculation is to consider bioenergy as carbon-neutral because of the CO2 absorption that took place during the growth phase of biomass. However, the overall carbon balance of the bioenergy chain has to be assessed including the carbon cycle in the ecosystem (e.g. the forest) and emissions of the valorization chain (transportation, process for energy production). The production of energy from wood emits other pollutants than CO2, some of which have a much higher global warming impact, as well as effects on human health or on the ecosystem. Therefore the climate-neutral approach can be misleading and a more precise assessment of the bioenergy chain is needed. Moreover, questions on land use, carbon sequestration policy and profitability of the bioenergy chains (etc.) have to be also addressed.

​What would be the “most sustainable” bioenergy route?

The project intends answering this question…

Therefore it covers the forest-to-energy chains in its entirety including the following aspects:- biomass growth in French forests,- the various uses of wood (self consumption for the ecosystem, timber, pulp and paper, energy, etc.),- the biomass conversion processes,- the perception of society towards new technologies,- the profitability of bioenergy routes and their integration in the world global economy, including potential issues on land use.